LAMP Stack on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

You get a LAMP server (Linux, Apache®, MySQL and PHP) on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS that serves PHP on port 80 from first boot. MySQL gets its own root password, generated on your VM, so you can upload your application and create its database straight away.

Who it's for

• Web developers and agencies hosting their own PHP applications
• Teams that need a staging or test server matching a classic LAMP production setup
• Anyone moving a PHP site to Azure who wants the stack installed rather than assembled by hand

What's included

• Powered by Apache® HTTP Server 2.4, with PHP 8.3 loaded as an Apache module plus the curl (outbound web requests), gd (image handling), mbstring (multi-byte text), xml, zip and MySQL extensions
• MySQL 8.0 (the database), listening only on the VM itself (127.0.0.1), with no anonymous users, no test database and no remote root sign-in
• The rewrite, headers and SSL modules enabled, and a placeholder page in the web root (/var/www/html) for you to replace. Apache and MySQL both restart automatically after a reboot.

After deployment

• First boot generates a random MySQL root password, proves it against the running server, then starts Apache. The password keeps working after reboots.
• SSH in with the key you chose at deployment. The login message (MOTD) shows the command that prints the root-only password file. Connect locally as root, create your application's database and user, then change the root password.
• Allow port 80 for your own IP in the network security group (NSG, the firewall Azure applies to your VM) and browse to the VM's address.
• HTTPS is not set up: the VM firewall already allows port 443, but you need to add a certificate and an HTTPS site (virtual host) for your domain before port 443 serves HTTPS.

Why this image

• The database root password is unique to your VM and verified before first boot reports success.
• MySQL listens only on the VM itself, so the database is not exposed to the network by default.
• A weekly verification job checks the web page, PHP inside Apache and the MySQL root sign-in on the newest build.
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with every update available at build time applied.

How it runs on Azure

A Gen2 VM image with Trusted Launch (Secure Boot plus a virtual TPM, a software security chip, which together protect the VM's boot process), deployed into your own subscription and virtual network. Charges appear on your Azure invoice with the VM's compute and storage. Recommended sizes range from Standard_B2s to Standard_D8as_v5.

Apache® is a registered trademark of The Apache Software Foundation. This image is packaged by Derek Coleman & Associates Inc; no endorsement by the Apache, MySQL or PHP projects is implied. Quick-start guide and support for this image: www.dcassociatesgroup.com/support